on "meet the press," president obama continued his public campaign to pressure congress. >> if congress doesn't act, then everybody's taxes go up. and for the average family that could mean a loss of $2,000 in income and the whole economy could slow down at a time went economy's actually starting to pick up. >> reporter: he, again, called on lawmakers to strike a deal or hold a vote on his plan, which would raise tax rates on wealthy americans, a major sticking point for republicans. >> the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest americans are protected. that seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme. >> reporter: after the interview, republican leaders accused the president of assigning blame instead of leading. >> when they say leadership falls on you, mr. president, you don't have a role here in breaking this impasse? you have had a tough go with congress. >> david, at a certain point, if folks can't say yes to good offers, then i also have an obligation to the american people to make sure that the entire burden of de